Over 80 million tourists visited Spain in 2017
2017 was yet another record-breaking year
for Spanish tourism, according to the Ministry of Energy, Tourism and the
Digital Agenda. Spain was the second most visited country in the world, having
surpassed the USA, second only to France.
The most visited region in the country was
Catalonia, with millions flocking to Barcelona or to the beautiful coastlines
of the Costa Brava and the Costa Dorada.
Valencia also fared very well with an
inbound tourist increase of 18%. While still a long way behind Catalonia in
numbers, this represents an enormous increase on 2016 and many believe the city
struggled to cope with it. An increase in people means a large increase in the
local economy but also an increase in litter, an increase in prices and an
increase in pollution. People in many regions in Spain protested against the
vastness of the tourist industry, in some cases vandalizing property related to
the industry, such as rented bicycles.
The airport at Manises now offers direct
flights from many more destinations including the UK, Germany, Italy, Holland
and Belgium. Budget airlines and affordable accommodation increase the ease of
travel to Valencia, which already boasts a near-perfect climate, is a good
sized city and is also a genuine beach destination. With numbers set to
increase, how will the city cope?
Car and scooter rentals are a very popular
way of enjoying the city, especially if Valencia is not the only destination on
a holiday. Unfortunately, they pollute the
environment and more cars and scooters make for dirtier air. Some companies
offer electric cars and scooters, which are far cleaner, but the infrastructure
still needs to catch up in order to recharge the batteries.
For those staying closer to or in Valencia,
bike rental has become very popular.
With hundreds of kilometres of bicycle
lanes, it is a safe and green way to see the city and surrounding areas. BikeAlao is a bike rental company
in Valencia which also offers tours of the city and surrounding areas. The city
also has a bike rental scheme, which can be very handy from getting from A to B
as you can leave the bike at your destination.
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Are you a responsible tourist? |
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